Blockchain in the Beef Industry

Learn how blockchain can help you enhance your profits, transparency, and more.

June 02, 2025

Welcome!

Technology is changing so quickly that it’s almost impossible to keep up. Our mission is to give you a 5-minute read once a week with the most useful technology we can find for the beef industry. Today's cattle producers have more tech at their fingertips than the CEO of Apple did just a few years ago. But who has the time to keep track? We hope to help you do exactly that. Every week we will feature the latest developments with a deep dive into one of the many topics in beef industry technology. This week we’re talking about blockchain.

In today’s issue:

  • Enhancing beef supply chain transparency with blockchain

  • Blockchain for combating beef industry fraud

  • And much more…

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BEST LINKS

Our Favorite Finds

  • Digital Transformation and Blockchain in Beef Supply Chains (EssFeed)
    Understand how adopting blockchain and other digital tools can streamline traceability and reassure consumers about beef safety and quality.

  • Blockchain Shifting to Communicate Beyond Traceability (Tri-State Livestock News)
    See how emerging blockchain solutions can help you highlight your cattle’s true value, increase feed efficiency, and access premium markets—even as a smaller producer.

  • Data Capture Adds Value (Drovers)
    See how BlockTrust Network uses blockchain to securely collect and share cattle data, enhancing transparency and increasing market opportunities.

  • The Intrinsic and Instrumental Values of Blockchain to Provide Beef Supply Chain Traceability (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems)
    Dive into how blockchain strengthens supply chain transparency and consumer trust while promoting sustainable beef production.

  • Blockchain to Bring Transparency to Beef Business (Beef Magazine)
    Learn how blockchain is reshaping beef marketing by creating clearer supply chain insights and unlocking new value for producers.

IN SIMPLE TERMS

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is a digital method of recording information that’s secure, transparent, and difficult to alter. Think of it like a shared notebook—every time a new note (or "block") is added, everyone with access sees the same update. These blocks are linked together in a sequence, forming a "chain" that shows the full history of changes. Because everyone has the same version and changes are nearly impossible to fake, blockchain is trusted for tracking things like money, ownership, or agreements—without needing a middleman like a bank.

DEEP DIVE

Wyoming Ranchers Boost Profits with BeefChain

Wyoming ranchers are tapping into blockchain technology with BeefChain to get better prices for their premium beef. By tagging cattle with RFID chips, ranchers like Ogden Driskill of Campstool Ranch track their herds from birth to butcher, proving their cattle are grass-fed and free-range. This transparency lets consumers scan a QR code at the store to see exactly where their steak came from, building trust and demand.

BeefChain’s digital ledger locks in data like feed, vaccines, and grazing conditions, so it can’t be faked. This helps ranchers like Driskill, who tagged 323 calves in 2018, earn $500-$700 more per head by verifying quality to buyers, especially in markets like Asia. With 11,400 Wyoming ranches generating $1.1 billion in cattle sales yearly, BeefChain’s model could mean bigger paydays for producers who join.

“It’s about showing the world our beef is top-notch,” says Driskill. “We’re not changing how we ranch—just proving it.” For ranchers, BeefChain offers a simple way to stand out and cash in on the growing demand for traceable, high-quality beef.

Source: AgFunderNews, Wyoming Public Media

OUR TAKE

As ranch operators, we, like you, are constantly looking for ways to measure our success. Genetically, the industry has come a long way in in the last few decades. Now, we wean calves several hundred pounds heavier than our forefathers did. It is always a challenge to measure the exact success of your efforts in terms of genetics.

Retaining ownership from birth to the final sale is financially challenging for most producers. Blockchain offers a platform for following your product straight to the consumer and giving the precise information necessary to gauge your genetic success.

Programs like BeefChain in Wyoming are popping up across the nation and the world.

Reply to this email with details on projects you’re familiar with or would like highlighted. Our goal is to not only provide you with the latest emerging technology news but useful stories of implementation. Cattle ranchers are by necessity among the most creative business owners on Earth.

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BEEFTALK

A Chat with Max Mukuvise

Max Mukuvise runs a 130,000 acre ranch in Tanzania, is a partner in his own seedstock business and is a co-founder of E-Livestock Global. When we first talked with Max, we were fascinated by the advances he has made using technology, in arguably one of the most challenging ranching environments. We asked Max five questions.

How does the blockchain improve traceability in your supply chain?

“It helps firstly with proof of ownership. It also helps with recording events in an animals life together with location of those events. Traceability is good for consumers to know where their animals have come from and that they have been treated well.”

What are the costs and infrastructure requirements for implementation?

“The tag is a one off USD2 with a USD1 annual fee per animal in the system. The scanner is USD1,000 but I would only recommend that to farmers with over 100 animals. This works for communities where there is an aggregation of animals through dipping systems where animals are communally treated for Ectoparasites. We are looking at using mobile phone camera in the future to read the tags using a QR code, which will simplify life further.”

How did blockchain integration affect your current data management practices?

“It is globally accepted and with exports of beef on the horizon it is helping me to gather more data that is relevant to my objectives. It helped ensure that accurate data was entered into the system.”

What do you see as the potential benefits in terms of food safety and consumer trust?

“Most definitely. If we can prove where the animal has been and what kind of life it has had from a health perspective this will certainly build trust. With smallholder farmers in Africa it will help them be recognized on the global scale, and allow consumers to know that they are helping people normally termed the poorest of the poor become relevant players in the food. Their animals will go from being idle assets to economic assets.”

How does blockchain technology impact your relationships with suppliers and buyers?

“So far I am looking at buyers of our beef. We already have local butcheries talking about our grassfed beef and having the E-Livestock Global system on the Ranch we have that added layer of provenance. My business partner has recently started selling Wagyu beef. These animals are int the system and it is an added bonus to have the animals in the system.”

WRAPPING UP

Blockchain’s Impact and What’s Next

We hope this issue’s dive into blockchain has shed light on how this technology is transforming transparency and trust in the beef industry. From tracking cattle from pasture to plate to verifying premium genetics, blockchain is paving the way for a more accountable and efficient supply chain.

Next week, we’re diving into another game-changer: GPS Tracking Systems. Get ready to explore how GPS technology is transforming cattle management, from monitoring herd movements to improving grazing efficiency and enhancing overall ranch operations. Could GPS tracking be the key to boosting your bottom line? Tune in next week to find out!

BeefTech.News – Keeping you ahead of the herd.

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